Player

Monday, September 30, 2024

YouTube Spotlight: A Double Shot of My David Groh

You can sing "A Double Shot of My David Groh" to the tune of "A Double Shot (of My Baby's Love)" by The Medallions since we're looking at two clips from the Rhoda video playlist that feature David "Joe" Grogh.

Or you could not do that. There are two problems with that.

1) Only one of these sitcom opening sequences actually includes David Groh.
2) Once you see that clip and hear the Paul Williams theme song, you aren't gonna have the original "Double Shot" in your head the way I did for some reason the other day.

Here is the opening to the James Komack CBS sitcom Another Day:


The uploader here says the "godawful" pilot consists of Groh and (Joan) Hackett's characters arguing loudly for the entire episode." Well, I kind of want to see this! Not many did see it in its original run, which lasted only 4 episodes in April 1979. I think Komack had about 4 or 5 failed sitcoms in a two-year span there.

Next up, a sitcom without David Groh but with Nancy Walker. Mama's Boy aired a whopping 6 episodes on a sporadic schedule on NBC, apparently filling in here and there until they just pulled the plug.



Bruce Weitz is a newspaperman whose mother moves in with him after his father dies. Want to bet she's a domineering mother? 

This looks hopelessly old-fashioned even taking into account there is irony intended with the use of a doo wop arrangement of "M-O-T-H-E-R" as the theme song. Even for 1987, I think this all feels out of place, like the show should have come out 5-10 years earlier.

In 1987, Weitz was coming off a scene-stealing role as Belker on Hill Street Blues, while NBC was finding success with The Golden Girls (The same producers created this show). This combination didn't work for the network, though, and the series ended its odd run in August of 1988.


Sunday, September 29, 2024

Top Ten #321: Special "Bryant Gumbel's Birthday" Edition!

1) Rhoda: It seems like even though the series started out strong and outdid its predecessor for a while, the character and the spinoff always live in the shadow of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. We try to give it some attention in its own right on the podcast.



Oh, and don't forget to check out last week's episode, an encore presentation of, uh, The Mary Tyler Moore Show!

2) Valerie Harper and David Groh: Count us squarely in the "We like Rhoda and Joe" camp.

3) Julie Kavner: I feel like I owe her a high spot here after my remarks on the podcast. Brenda is fine; I just don't want all-Brenda, all the time!




4) Burt Mustin: Stole the show in his all-too-brief (and all-too-somnambulant) appearance on "The Honeymoon," the episode that tis our focus on the pod. I can't be the only one who wishes they would have brought him back as a potential love interest for Rhoda after the divorce.

5) Diff'rent Strokes: It's the 40th anniversary of the premiere of the Ghostbusters episode!


6) Connie Chung: The longtime newswoman is doing press for her new memoir. What do you think of the book? Come on, just whisper it, just between you and me.

7) Big Shamus, Little Shamus: So many popular shows debuted on this date in history: Cheers, Alice, McMillan and Wife...and this one.




8) National Coffee Day: I don't partake, so I tell you what, you can have my cup.




9) Saturday Night Live: The venerable institution (almost older than Burt Mustin at this point) began its 50th season last night.

10) The Oakland A's: Shame on MLB, not just the A's current ownership, for letting the team relocate.



Saturday, September 28, 2024

YouTube Spotlight: The pinnacle of this feature

This is a wonderful week because the current podcast topic and one of our running jokes align this week right here in this very post. Well, actually, it already happened in this week's video playlist for Rhoda when we had a legitimate reason to post a clip from that fabled BOTNS fave...

OVER EASY!



Yes, in this clip of the daytime public broadcasting program aimed at seniors, Hugh Downs interviews Rhoda's Nancy Walker. There is no egg talk, sadly, but I am overjoyed at the opportunity to work Over Easy into the BONTS universe again, and I hope longtime listeners appreciate it as well!

(Over Easy aired 1977-1982 on PBS stations. Downs hosted the magazine-style show that aired primarily in afternoon timeslots.)


Thursday, September 26, 2024

Show Notes and Video Playlist: Episode 12-7: Rhoda

*This week we look at Rhoda, which aired 1974-1978 (5 seasons) on CBS.

*Shout-out to these two books: I, Rhoda, Valerie Harper's autobiography; and Jennifer Keishin Armstrong's Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted; which looks at all the series in the Maryverse. I reviewed the latter here in 2018.

*"Rhoda's Wedding" premiered October 28. 1974 and is the eighth episode of the series. It drew an estimated audience of 52 million viewers (That's even more than the last Battys). Two days before, "The New Sue Ann" episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show led into Rhoda's wedding.

*Rhoda was a top 10 program on Monday nights in first couple seasons, and by the end was on Saturday nights and finished 95 with half as many viewers as in its first two years.

*As of this writing, the series is still not officially available on streaming.

*In 1976, the divorce rate in the USA was 5 per 1,000 people, an all-time high.

*The counseling episode I mention is Season 3's "Two Little Words: Marriage Counselor," guest-starring Rene Auberjonois.

*"The Honeymoon" first aired Monday, November 4, 1974 at 9:30 PM on CBS.

*Ray Buktenica is the actor who plays Benny on the series.

*Here is the Mike/Richard Masur action figure:



*Mell Lazarus' Momma ran in newspaper syndication from 1970-2016.

*Mike did the research on how many episodes of TV Burt Mustin and Charles Lane were in together:
https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?role=nm0485272,nm0615993

This sounds like the obvious highlight:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0591273/?ref_=sr_t_30

*Phyllis with Cloris Leachman ran 2 seasons on CBS, 1975-1977.

*Finally, here is our video playlist for this week, which includes the very episode we discuss (If you like that, there's more in the same place), plus commercials, promos, and more! See, not just hear, Lorenzo Music!


*And remember, you can always check out our official YouTube page for all of our past podcasts and episode-specific playlists for each one!

Episode 12-7: Rhoda

After four seasons on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Mary's best pal Rhoda (Valerie Harper) returned to New York City for a visit and ended up staying for her own show, aptly titled Rhoda! At the behest of the man with the golden gut Fred Silverman, the creative team rushed her into marriage with Joe (David Groh), a decision that ultimately led to major creative changes. We delve into that, then look at episode 10 "The Honeymoon," which doesn't turn out exactly how Rhoda and Joe expected it to thanks Rhoda's parents.

#podcast #tv #retrotv #seventies #rhoda #valerieharper #marytylermooreshow #spinoff

Read full show notes and more at https://www.battleofthenetworkshows.com/

Join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/371670863237699

Support the show by buying merch at http://tee.pub/lic/FM0uOqq3xzE

 



Check out this episode!

Monday, September 23, 2024

This Day in TV History: Cheers and Hill Street Blues win at the 1984 Emmys

40 years ago tonight, the big winners at the Emmys were Cheers and Hill Street Blues.


It's no surprise, in retrospect, those shows won the big Comedy and Drama prizes, but I do find the other nominees in that Comedy category interesting:

Buffalo Bill
Family Ties
Kate and Allie
Newhart



Sunday, September 22, 2024

Top Ten #320: Special "Full week or so after the Emmys" Edition!

1) Mary Tyler Moore Show: We posted our previous episode covering the show as a Special Encore Presentation this week, but we are back Thursday with a brand-new podcast. Attentive listeners may be able to speculate on the show we discuss next! 

We love our inattentive listeners, too, though!

2) Batman: Wednesday is National Comic Book Day, yesterday was Batman Day, but every day should be Adam West Day.




3) The Sonny Comedy Revue: Today in 1974, Sonny Bono, finally free of the shackles of his less charismatic and less talented partner, launched his own variety show on ABC and went on to a long and fruitful run, never having to reunite with Cher for another go.

(This has been another installment of TV Alternate History, brought to you by delusion)

4) Matlock: The Kathy Bates 2024 show premieres tonight, but I might have be on Team Grandpa Simpson and watch the original.




5) The Man from UNCLE: Outside the time frame, but the spy show premiered 60 years ago tonight and did come back with a 1980s reunion movie.



6) Jabberjaw: The old Hanna-Barbera toon is now playing weekends on Discovery Family, which is still around!

7) Hispanic Heritage Month: It's well underway, and I celebrated by watching this episode of Viva Valdez:



8) Fannie Flagg: The frequent guest on BLANK turns 80 today!



9) Series Premieres in 1984: 40 years ago tonight saw these shows debut in prime time: Finder of Lost Loves, Cover Up, Partners in Crime, Hot Pursuit. Pretty much all these lasted about as long as The Sonny Comedy Revue.




10) National States and Capitals Day: How about a shout-out to the man who practically ran the state of, uh, whatever it was: Benson!



Friday, September 20, 2024

Promo Theatre: Robert Guillaume sounds almost as cool as Ernie Anderson

In this 1985 ABC promo, come to hear Benson DuBois mutter, "Welcome to the Love Boat," and stay for a look at the premiere of short-lived program The Quest!



This episode of Benson, "Death in a Funny Position," is the fourth-season premiere and offers guests like Michael Constantine, Ron Carey, Keene Curtis, Lynda Day George, and Tab Hunter!

The Quest lasted a mere 8 episodes, but it offered an interesting cast in a show about a tiny European principality offering some Americans a chance to be its ruler. Stars include Perry King, Karen Austin, Ray Vitte, John Rhys-Davies, and Noah Beery Jr.

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Encore: The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Love is all around as we revisit our episode about the iconic sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Mary wants a raise. Instead, she has to mastermind WJM's new "fun" news format. Everything should run smoothly as long as no one tells Ted he's the straight man. Oops! Plus...Gilligan's Island?

#podcast #tv #retrotv #seventies #marytylermoore #themarytylermooreshow #mtm

 Read full show notes and more at https://www.battleofthenetworkshows.com/

Join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/371670863237699

Support the show by buying merch at http://tee.pub/lic/FM0uOqq3xzE

 



Check out this episode!

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

RetroFan Magazine brings it

The latest RetroFan is another interesting blend of topics. I recently read that longtime TwoMorrows editor Michael Eury is retiring, and I hope the magazine continues on the same course without him.

The cover story spotlights CHiPs, and how can you not appreciate an article that includes a nice big photo of our guy Robert Pine? Herbie Pilato seems to be a regular contributor now, and this is a good overview of the series even if its list of standout episodes somehow lacks "Roller Disco."

Oh, and I want this toy pictured in the story (Thanks to swfigures.com for the pic):




Mark Voger's feature on Tiny Tim includes a lot of info beyond the famous Tonight Show wedding. Though Tim was not as much an icon in the BOTNS era as in the Sixties, he was a common cultural reference who grew up in the Seventies/Eighties, and I think this piece is of interest to all of us! Voger strikes a nice balance between trying to capture the weird appeal of the persona and the man as an individual.

I really like Scott Shaw!'s column this week, a personal remembrance of John Candy. Shaw! worked with the late actor on the NBC toon Camp Candy, and I enjoy the details of his own experiences combined with an overview of Candy's career.

The other big story that is relevant to the world of BOTNS is Andy Mangels's deep dive into the Plastic Man cartoon. It's frustrating that so much of the animated Plas remains unavailable, though some of the ABC show did make its way to DVD years ago. Mangels does a great job laying out the history of the character in cartoon form.

There's more, including features on Steve Reeves, Remo Williams, and Weird-Ohs model kits, and it's the usual solid effort from everyone involved. As always, I recommend it!

Monday, September 16, 2024

This Day in TV History: Marjoe's BLISTERING performance on Medical Center would earn him a Batty

50 years ago tonight, CBS went up against the season premiere of Monday Night Football and TV movie What's the Matter with Helen? (NBC) at 10:00 with a new episode of Medical Center called "Demi-God."

This episode is the one we talk about on our 2017 episode from Season 3 in which we look at Medical Center. Guest star Marjoe Gortner plays a faith healer in "Demi-God," and his performance would get him a Genius Award in our Season 3 Battys!

Helen is a 1971 horror movie with Debbie Reynolds and Shelley Winters. Here's a look at the trailer:





Sunday, September 15, 2024

Top Ten #319: Special "Emmy Fever" Edition!

1) Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous: You can tell how well Mike and I just blended into the glamorous world of the series; you know, two guys who host a free podcast about old TV shows.



2) Robin Leach: I think we're far enough from his Eighties peak that he isn't overexposed anymore. I wouldn't swear to it, though.



3) The Emmys: Hey, I wonder who will win the Outstanding Facial Hair award or the Robert Pine Genius award, or if the random number generator will come into play. SPOILER: None of that will happen, unlike on other shows (Ahem!).

However, you will see reunions featuring some BOTNS stars. Among the reported segments is a Happy Days reunion. Will they do the Elephant Dance again?


4) The Love Boat Fall Preview Party: ABC did a couple of these, and I really want to see the one that aired 40 years ago tonight previewing the 1984 Fall season. Here's a glimpse of the 1983 version:


5) WJAC: Today is the 75th anniversary of the broadcast debut of this Johnstown TV station, which happens to be the NBC affiliate I grew up watching!


6) MTV Video Music Awards: Last week's show didn't seem to have much to interest me, but there was a day when maybe you would see an Outstanding Hair category there.


7) Joan Collins: One of the stars of the Lifestyles episode we discuss on this week's podcast, Collins is still around and doing well.



8) Saturday morning television in 1984: 40 years ago this morning, among the debuting programs on the networks: Shirt Tales, Snorks, GetAlong Gang, Pink Panther and Sons, Going Bananas, Muppet Babies.


9) CHiPs: Speaking of Robert Pine, this show premiered on this date in 1977!




10) R.I.P. James Earl Jones and Frankie Beverly: The latter was not a TV star, but he was a big part of the episode of Soul Train we discussed!





Friday, September 13, 2024

YouTube Spotlight: 007 on MTV

One interesting clip in this week's video playlist is Roger Moore on MTV in 1985, perhaps not too distant from his appearance on the Lifestyles episode we discuss, promoting A View to a Kill with Nina Blackwood.



The movie had Duran Duran do the theme song, but does it feel like a MTV 1985 film? I like that the first question Nina asks is about Duran Duran, like Roger was the one who arranged the soundtrack production.

Moore should have struck around and introduced some more clips, like David Lee Roth, Whitney Houston, Simple Minds...

Thursday, September 12, 2024

Show Notes and Video Playlist: Episode 12-6: Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

*Thank you again for voting in last season's 80s infotainment poll, which brings us to this week's episode after Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous lost a narrow decision to Entertainment Tonight.

*Announcer David Perry, AKA David Greenspan, was the brother of famed Olympic filmmaker Bud Greenspan and narrated many of those movies. 

*Runaway with the Rich and Famous (1991-1998) and Fame, Fortune, and Romance (1986-87) are the two spinoffs of the series. Apparently Robin Leach donated a bunch of VHS tapes to UNLV! Someone digitize this material!

*S.D. "Special Delivery" Jones was active in the WWF from 1974-1990.

*There was an ABC version of the show, re-edited episodes, on daytime weekdays in 1986.

*The St. James Club is still around today!  It now has pickleball! It still offers all-inclusive services, and we hope it remains "discreetly opulent."

*This episode of Lifestyles aired Saturday, February 9, 1985 in many markets.

*WPXI has been a station in the Pittsburgh market since 1957, though it was WIIC before changing call letters in 1981. For most of its run, it has been an NBC affiliate. In its early days, it aired prominent local shows like studio wrestling and Chiller Theater, both with Bill Cardille.

*Morris the Cat is still affiliated with 9Lives! His original commercial run lasted from 1969 to 1978.

*"Fat and Furry," premiering September 16, 1989 on CBS, is the Garfield episode Mike mentions. In a show on the show called Lifestyles of the Fat and Furry, Robin Leach shows viewers the luxury lives of spoiled felines.

*Charlene Tilton's single "C'est la Vie" was released in Germany, The Netherlands, and France in 1984. It was not even released in the USA.

*Regine Zylberberg (1929-2022) was a torch singer turned nightclub manager in France. She built an empire of nightclubs for the jet set all over the world. See an incredible disco music video of her and Charo in our video playlist!

*Roger Moore was James Bond in 7 movies from 1873 to 1985.

*Capitol was a CBS daytime soap from 1982 to 1987. other stars included Carolyn Jones, Ed Nelson, Julie Adams, and Rory Calhoun.

*George Michael's Sports Machine launched in 1984 as a production of WRC in Washington D.C. and was syndicated to other NBC stations before getting wider clearance in the Nineties.

*Joan Collins married Peter Holm in November 1985, but they divorced in August 1987, and the marriage was over well before then for practical purposes. She has been married to current husband Percy Gibson for over 20 years.

*Phlibin S. Flanagan was vice President and General Manager of Television Program Enterprises. You can read a 2015 obituary here.

*Finally, click below to enjoy our video playlist for this week, including promos, commercials, and more! Note that we included something out of the time frame, from the mid Nineties, to give you a taste of the Giant Eagle jingle I mention on the show.



*And remember, you can always check out our official YouTube page for all of our past podcasts and episode-specific playlists for each one!

Episode 12-6: Lifestyles of the Rich And Famous

This week, we cover another listener poll runner-up, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous with Robin Leach. As you'd expect, this 1985 episode includes a lot of rich and famous people living their lives in style from the "discreetly opulent" St. James Club in Antigua to Beverly Hills to Miami to Mexico City. We're possibly more interested in Sucrets and aspirin than champagne and caviar but keep an ear out for the likes of Joan Collins, Julio Iglesias, Liza, Ann-Marget, and Esther Williams.

#podcast #tv #retrotv #robinleach #eighties #lifestylesoftherichandfamous

 Read full show notes and more at https://www.battleofthenetworkshows.com/

Join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/371670863237699

Support the show by buying merch at http://tee.pub/lic/FM0uOqq3xzE

 



Check out this episode!

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Tomorrow on Battle of the Network Shows...

 

Robin Leach leans cheekily against a wall in beautiful Antigua, West Indie

Power Rankings: 10 who did NOT have variety shows (but could have) in the 1970s

A common talking point about the peak of the variety show in the 1970s is that "Everyone had a variety show" in the decade. I mean, Mike and I probably said it a few times after talking about Sonny and Cher last season and Donny and Marie this past episode.

Believe it or not, it's not the case! Yes, the existence of The Keane Brothers Show may convince you otherwise, but many celebrities of the era never got their own program.

Here's our list of 10, ranked in order of who would win if they played head to head on a neutral field in Television City, Los Angeles, California.

1) Robert Pine: 'Nuff said.

2) Herve Villechaze: Of course the show would be called HERVE! and would co-star Jeff Altman.



3) Beth Howland: Can you believe TV's Vera never had a variety show? Crazy, right?

4) Ann Jillian: You know what? Maybe this one actually should have happened. She was more a presence on stage than on screen in the Seventies.

5) Jim McKay: Famous for being inflappable, McKay really proved his ability to handle any situation with his flawless call of the breakdancing at the 1984 Summer Olympics closing ceremony.

6) Theodore Wilson: One of the coolest performers of the decade worked steadily, including regular roles on That's My Mama and Good Times, so he didn't NEED to host his own variety hour. Maybe the public needed it, though.

7) Jodie Foster: She was in tons of stuff in the Seventies, including commercial TV, series like Paper Moon, and guest shots plus even voice-over work (The Addams Family cartoon). Networks were chasing that 2-11-year-old demo even then. Why not The Jodie Foster Hour with some skits and songs?




8) Gary Sandy: Despite his proven versatility as an actor and frontman of a platinum-selling rock band, he never got the shot.

9) Grape Ape: He shared a high-profile gig with a diverse cast on The Tom and Jerry/Grape Ape/Mumbly Show. I think he could have pulled off a prime-time variety series.




10) Herb Edelman: I know. It stuns us, too.

Monday, September 9, 2024

YouTube Spotlight: Go Hawaiian!

I think I knew Donny and Marie from their Hawaiian Punch ads than I did their actual TV work. The commercials were on all the time, and I loved Hawaiian Punch! Or was it Kool-Aid? Or maybe Hi-C?

I think I drank all of those.

We included one ad in the playlist this week, but here are a couple more just in case you are in the need for even more sugary sweetness.



Did you know that when Donny and Marie were hired as spokespersons, the beverage was owned by RJ Reynolds? And today it is owned by Dr. Pepper.

Sunday, September 8, 2024

Top Ten #318: Special "Here we go" Edition!

1) Donny and Marie: This week's all-new, all-fun episode of the podcast features the wholesome brother/sister duo's 1970s variety program.



2) Paul Lynde: What more can you say about Paul Lynde that Gilbert Gottfried and Frank Santopadre didn't already say better? I'm still not really sure what he was doing as a regular on the Osmonds' weekly show, but some mysteries may be better left unsolved.

By the way, thanks (I think?) to our pal in our Facebook group, Charlie, for putting this in my head:




3) George Gobel: We are still waiting to hear from all the Double G superfans out there after his appearance on Donny and Marie, but in the meantime, here is an extended glimpse of the comedian.




4) Desi Arnaz: Milton Berle became a member of the 3-Timers' Club with his appearance on the pod this week, but i want to celebrate Desi, whose appearance on this episode of Donny and Marie followed his release of the awesomely titled autobiography A Book. Let's visit with Johnny again:




5) Laugh Busters: 40 years ago tonight, NBC previewed its new Saturday morning lineup with this special. Get the scoop on Kidd Video!



6) The NFL: Pro football is back! This year, the NFL continues its takeover of every day of the week and every special occasion with high-profile games on Christmas Day on Netflix. BOTNS does not fear the league, though, and will continue releasing episodes on Thursdays despite the presence of Thursday Night Football.




7) Star Trek Day: This holiday celebrates the anniversary of the premiere of the original series on NBC. To all who celebrate, may the force be with you!




8) Heather Thomas: Happy birthday to the Fall Guy star!



9) World Ampersand Day: Let's take a moment to celebrate great duos like Siskel & Ebert, Laverne & Shirley, and Steak & Lowenbrau.



It's been too long since we posted that!

10) R.I.P. James Darren and Jim Riswold: The latter, who died in August, but posthumously announced his death last week, is credited with creating Nike's legendary Air Jordan and Bo Knows commercials.






Friday, September 6, 2024

Show Notes and Episode Playlist: Episode 12-5: Donny and Marie

*Apologies for the lateness of this post this week!

*I was unable to find the exact study, but I believe research in the 1960s revealed that being rock and roll or country is not a strict all-or-nothing proposition, but that it is more of a fluid scale on which people have different degrees of rock-and-rollness and/or countryness.

*Thanks again to everyone who voted in last year's variety shows poll. If you want to listen to or revist last season's Sonny and Cher episode, click here.

*Frampton Comes Alive by Peter Frampton is a double album from 1976 that was the biggest LP of the year and remains one of the biggest-selling live albums ever. Aja, released Fall 1977, is Steely Dan's biggest album.

*Goin' Coconuts (1978), the attempt to bring the Donny and Marie magic to the big screen, was a huge flop.



*One show we do not mention on the podcast is the Rankin Bass Saturday morning cartoon The Osmonds. it ran for 17 episodes in Fall 1972. The series featured the voices of the actual Osmonds...and of course Paul Frees!

*This episode premiered Friday, September 24, 1976, on ABC. It ran 4 seasons, January 1976 to May 1979, with 78 episodes.

*Serpico lasted a half-season on NBC.Co-starring with David Birney was Tom Atkins of The Rockford Files.

*"I Just Want to Celebrate" was a #7 hit for Rare Earth 5 years earlier, but its cover of The Temptations' "Get Ready" was its biggest hit at #4.

*Peggy Fleming was a gold medalist in figure skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France.

*Art Linkletter hosted House Party and People Are Funny on TV and radio.

*The New Howdy Doody Show premiered August 1976 in daily first-run syndication but only lasted until January.

*Finally, check out this week's video playlist, with commercials, promos, theme songs, and somehow, Rip Torn!




*And remember, you can always check out our official YouTube page for all of our past podcasts and episode-specific playlists for each one!

Thursday, September 5, 2024

Episode 12-5: Donny and Marie

Last season, Sonny and Cher narrowly beat out Donny and Marie in a listener poll, but we promised to cover Donny and Marie this season, and here we are! In our cutest episode to date, the brother-sister duo celebrates the history of TV with regular Paul Lynde and the likes of Milton Berle, Art Linkletter, and the one and only George Gobel! This one has everything you'd expect from a seventies variety show: celebrities, singing, dancing, "comedy"...and ice skating.

#podcast #tv #retrotv #seventies #varietyshow #donnyandmarie #osmonds

Read full show notes and more at https://www.battleofthenetworkshows.com/

Join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/371670863237699

Support the show by buying merch at http://tee.pub/lic/FM0uOqq3xzE

 



Check out this episode!

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

YouTube Spotlight: Norman Fell

 One of my favorite clips from this week's YouTube playlist is this Norman Fell commercial.


On one hand, we all love the image of Fell as Stanley Roper grinning at the camera. Let's try, difficult as it is, to remove that picture from our mind. If you take out the mugging Stanley from Fell's repertoire (not that I want to), is there any better combination of pitchman and product than he and Pepto?

Monday, September 2, 2024

New to streaming for September

Here are some interesting new adds from the various streamers for us to enjoy on this Labor Day holiday (here in the States).

Roku Channel added Voyagers! and In the Heat of the Night. I think I missed that Police Story was on here, too. I tell you something: Roku Channel does a great job of burying material that interests me.

The channel also has some of the old MGM shows that make the rounds: Sea Hunt, Flipper, Bat Masterson, The Outer Limits. You know what I would like to see? Highway Patrol. That one has been on a lot of different TV channels in recent years but has never made it to streaming.

Warner Brothers Discovery continues its strategy of loading up MAX with the "Discovery" portion of its catalogue while dumping the "Warner Brothers" on the free streamers. Plex is the big recipient lately.

It now has the two original V miniseries as well as Max Headroom (1987), which I believe are streaming debuts. It also acquired Perfect Strangers, which has been MIA after a stint on Hulu. Soap fans should be happy, as Falcon Crest returns to streaming and, in an even bigger deal, Knots Landing debuts on streaming here on Plex.

It's great news for fans who get to watch the stuff for free, but I continue to be amused that WBD takes content away from MAX like Looney Tunes and Super Friends and doesn't bother with so much of its TV library, instead stuffing its offerings with stuff from TLC and HGTV. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to see more of the old shows on services we pay for?

Sunday, September 1, 2024

Top Ten #317: Special "National Square Dance Month" Edition!

1) Dan August: Mike and I have a great time discussing this 1970 series on BOTNS this week. It's not the best cop show of its era, but it has its virtues, and I wish it had more than one season.


2) Quinn Martin: It was great to get QM on the podcast. I sometimes wish I were IN a Quinn Martin Production. The production values and guest stars would be better, at least.



3) Norman Fell: I see Burt Reynolds insisting his co-star get the slot above him on the Top Ten list, then "dropping by to support him" and smirking for the remaining 10 minutes of his segment. All in good fun, of course.

4) Burt Reynolds: See? Here he is already!


5) Harrison Ford: It was just so cool seeing him show up on Dan August for the pod this week. Has anyone ever asked him about this appearance? I bet he'd play it all cool, like he barely remembered playing an ultimately insignificant drifter for a few scenes on a single-season show that has largely been forgotten nearly 55 years after it aired...but we know better!

6) Gary Coleman: The late star is the subject of a new documentary that Peacock just premiered, and honestly, it looks really, really sad. I might have to revisit some of those TV movies after watching this.


7) Hardcastle and McCormick: RIDE! The boys are back, and this time they are streaming on Roku Channel. Your move, Netflix.


8) The Fall Guy: With the 2024 movie hitting Peacock, isn't it about time the series made it to streaming again? Hulu had the first two seasons a couple years ago. This feels like a Tubi show, if Disney will let it go.


9)  The Odd Couple: There's a marathon of the show this weekend, but don't ASSUME you have the channel (Catchy Comedy) because, as Felix tells us, when you assume...

10) R.I.P. Sid Eudy: The man who ruled the world!